Jiří Straka

Czech artist Jiri Straka studied Sinology at Charles University in Prague and is an expert and aficionado of ancient Chinese culture. Year-round he wears traditional Chinese garb and looks more Chinese than most Chinese do - often sparking interest and attracting stares from passers-by. In the mid-1990s Jiri Straka came to Beijing to study ink and wash painting at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He has mastered the traditional methods and techniques of the art, but he has not let himself get tied down adhering to the rules of the art. He has progressed to creating mature ink and wash paintings that, according to traditional terminology, would be categorized as "boneless style" painting. From a formal perspective, he has distanced himself from mainstream Chinese literary free-brush painting. He often paints a certain landscape or flowers and plants outdoors, unrolls the paper, kneels and begins to create. He has a passion for large formats. This method of painting in nature, of course, stems from Western art traditions. We like his nature paintings very much for their strong infusion of Chinese ink and wash painting blended with Western temperament and spaciousness.